What happens when families have extra cash on hand each month \u2014 no strings attached? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hundreds of moms in two different cities are finding out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Flint, Michigan and Jackson, Mississippi, may be separated by more than 900 miles, but their similarities have driven a new approach to fighting child poverty. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Both have high rates of poverty. In Flint<\/a>, 41% of people live below poverty, and 26% in Jackson<\/a>. Tens of thousands of residents<\/a> in the majority Black cities have also dealt with dire water crises<\/a> within the last decade alone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Both states have initiatives \u2014 one new and the other longstanding \u2014 to ease the economic hurdles families face, as prices for the basics remain high<\/a>. In Michigan, the Rx Kids program launched this year to provide $7,500 in total to Flint moms, during and after pregnancy. In Mississippi, the Magnolia Mother\u2019s Trust has been around since 2018. The program, meant for low-income Black mothers living in subsidized housing, offers Jackson moms $12,000 all together. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The programs \u2014 often referred to as guaranteed income <\/strong>or cash transfer \u2014 are among dozens <\/a>across the country experimenting with providing direct cash payments to people with the greatest need, like expectant moms and low-income mothers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s evidence that extra cash in hand can ease financial hardships for families, such as the Child Tax Credit<\/a> \u2014 a tax break for eligible families with kids \u2014 and how its pandemic-era expansion had cut child poverty in about half<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n